Granted, any individual can root for any team of choice, but certain patterns allow us to group people into more likely categories. New York Jets fans come to mind, as those on Long Island and around the Queens area usually favor the green-colored football squad.
Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord does not fit a familiar category.
Although he attended St. Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia, PA, McCord revealed on Friday that he grew up as a Jets fan.
The 2025 NFL draft prospect even said that he wore No. 6 because of former Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez, per Ethan Greenberg of the official Jets website.
“Syracuse QB Kyle McCord said he grew up a Jets fan despite growing up in PA,” Greenberg wrote on X (formerly Twitter) Friday morning. “He has family from Long Island, and he wears No. 6 because of Mark Sanchez. McCord would play 2-on-2 football in the backyard: Jets vs. Broncos.”
McCord, 22, was born in familiar territory; well, sort of. His birth state at least falls under the “familiar territory” column.
His official birthplace is listed as Mount Laurel, NJ, which, as Northern New Jerseyeans know, does not belong. It’s such a distant place that it could actually be on Mars, for all we know.
This means that McCord grew up in Philadelphia Eagles territory, in South Jersey. Yet, thanks to his Long Island family roots, he grew up as a fan of Gang Green.
Born in 2002, McCord was but a youngster when he watched the 2009 and 2010 Rex Ryan teams in back-to-back AFC championship games. While he wasn’t exactly old enough to understand everything, he witnessed those Sanchez-led runs at the perfect time when a kid is beginning his sports odyssey.
McCord played three years at Ohio State before transferring to Syracuse this past season. In 13 games, he led college football (FBS) with 4,779 passing yards, 391 pass completions, and 592 pass attempts.
Although McCord doesn’t fit into the elite category of quarterback prospects in this pool, he’s currently slotted right behind the likes of Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders. Projected as a Day 2 pick, he’s battling it out with Jaxson Dart, Jalen Milroe, Quinn Ewers, and others.
The New York Jets, having moved on from veteran Aaron Rodgers, are certainly in the quarterback market.
